My name is Lillie Dignan. I'm a designer and maker, living and working in the Bay Area.
I love jars. I love food. And I doubly love food in jars. So as you might guess, this bulk storage situation in the kitchen makes me very happy. Two cheerful rows of glass jars, filled with dried goods to keep our bellies full.
Each jar was scrubbed clean and then later hand-labeled–because in a hungry moment, oat groats can be mistaken for rice, and that is unfortunate mixup to make at dinner time. Lesson learned.
To fill up the food jars, my favorite grocery store (and perhaps one of my favorite places) in San Francisco is Rainbow Grocery. They have the best bulk food selection in the world. Teas and spices? Maple syrup? Pastas and chocolate chips? It’s all there, sold by the pound. Awesome.
And this week, I was delighted to find the website of Unpackaged, a London shop that specializes in selling package-less foods. (Thanks, Alex!) I’m loving all this love for bulk food.
What do you buy in bulk? What’s your favorite thing to store in jars? (Jars of coffee beans make me very happy.)
I love that you found Rainbow Grocery!!
I’ve just started using glass jars to stores food in bulk – I love it! It’s so pretty and organized. Even half-empty jars are prettier than sad furled sacks sitting in the cabinets. I love storing oatmeal and rice in jars – where do you get your jars from?
hi ann – our jars are actually all one particular brand of organic tomato sauce! and the collection is ever growing – all the more room for bulk goodies!
I grew up in the Mission, so Rainbow is an old favorite and I loved hearing about it again… I’m quite far from home now. Luckily we have a great co-op with an amazing bulk section. Lots of jars in my cupboard, but I agree coffee beans in glass are just happy!